Thill-coupling



(No Model.)

F. J. MILLER.

THILL COUPLING.

No. 399,682. Patented ManiQ JSSQ.

'irn rains FRANCIS J. MILLER, OF CARROLLTON, KENTUCKY.

Tl-llLL COUPLlNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,682, dated March 19, 1889.

Applieatiqn filed July 12, 1888. $erial No. 279,74?- (No model.)

To caZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS J. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Carrollton, in the county of Carroll, State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Oouplings, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to thill-couplings, and among the objects and advantages are, first, to strengthen the connection of the thill shackle or clip with the axle proper and reduce the number of bolts and nuts required and prevent the shackle from becoming affected and loosened by the swelling and shrinking of the wood portion of the axle; and, secondly, to provide an anti-rattler that will maintain the thill-iron snugly upon its bolt and which is adapted for supporting the shafts or thills in a vertical position when not in use, which anti-rattler is easily applied, cheap, and adapted for use in connection with all styles of thill couplings or shackles.

'Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of an axle provided with a thill-coupling and an anti-rattler constructed in accordance with my invention, the same being shown in side elevation; and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.

Like numerals indicate like parts in both the figures.

1 represents the metal axle, and 2 the usual wood portion secured to the upper surface thereof.

Heretofore it has been customary to form the shackle with opposite axleembracing clips, which extend downwardly and terminate in screwthreaded lugs, which pass through a tie-plate fixed to the under side of the axle 1, and secured in position by nuts mounted on the lugs. This has been found objectionable for many reasons, in that the wood 7 portion, becoming affected by the weather, shrinks and expands, thus loosening the connection of the shackle therewith, which loosening permits the clips to roll and wear away the wood axle, the rolling being caused by the tugging of the shafts or thills upon their shackles. By my invention I secure the shaft-shackles directly to the metal portion of the axle and also provide sufficient means for securing the wood portion of the axle to prevent its coming loose, which means need not be so rigid and strong as heretofore, in that no strain whatever comes upon said. wood portion.

The shackle consists of the upper and lower axle-embracing plates, 3 and 4, respectively, the former being interposed between the wood portion 2 and the metal portion 1 of the axle, said wood portion being cut away or recessed, as at 5, to permit of the passage of the upper arm, 3, thereinbetween. The axle-embracing plates 3 and a at one side thereof are perforated and extended beyond the axle to form lugs 6, through which the vertical bindingbolt 7 is passed and bound snugly in position by means of a nut 8. The opposite side of the lower plate, 4, is projected at each side of the axle and perforated, as at 10, for the re ception of a clip, 9, which straddles the wood port-ion 2 of the axle and embraces the metal portion thereof and extends down through the perforations, and is provided with nuts for binding the same in position. The two plates 3 and 4 are connected by afront plate, 11, from the face of which there project lateral parallel bolt-receiving perforated cars 12, through which is passed the thill-bolt 13, provided with the usual nut. Upon this bolt is mounted pivotally the thill-iron let, to which is secured the thill 1.5.

As thus far described the shackle is capable of use with any ordinary well-known antirattler. By my invention, as will be hereinafter seen, I provide not only an anti-rattler, but one adapted to perform the double function of an anti-rattler and athill-support, and the same consists of aflat spring, 16, of irregular shape, and is formed with a shafi-ironembracing portion, 17, is bent upwardly and downwardly between said shaft-iron and the plate 11, forming a bow or loop, as at 18, and thence to the rear of the axle and up above the same, as at 19, and terminating in a catch end, 20. Secured to the upper surface of the thill or shaft 15 is a fixed catch, 21, which in this instance is provided with a bend, 22, at

its inner end, said bent portion occurring at a point on the thill struck by the arc of a circle drawn from the hook end 20, the center being taken from the bolt 13, so that when the shaft 15 is raised to a vertical position the bent portion 22 of the plate 21 is in line with the catch end 20 of the spring 16, and by drawing back the spring slightly the same may be hooked over the bent portion 22 and the shaft supported in position.

If desired, the catch 22 may be arranged in such relative position with the catch end 20 that it will spring under automatically. If'

desired, the catch 21 may be bent at its opposite end, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 1, so as to take over the top or upper end of the spring 16, whereby a person can, by drawing down the thills or raising the same, release the thills from connection with the spring while standing at the horses head.

Having described my invention and its operation, What I claim is 1. The combination, with a thill provided with a catch and its shackle, of a spring antirattler consisting of an open loop or bow portion inserted between the thill-iron and the shackle, one member of the loop resting against the inner face of the shackle passing under the same to the rear and above and terminating in a catch, and the other member of the loop resting against and partly embracing the thill-iron, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the axles 1 and 2, having the shackle herein described, consisting of the upper and lower plates, 3 and 4, and embracing the metal portion 10f the axle, and formed with the perforated projections 10, connected to the axle by the clip 9, and perforated projections 6, bound together by the bolt 7, having the nut 8 at the opposite side, and having the forwardly-projecting lugs or ears 12, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the axles 1 and 2, having the shackle herein described and consisting of the plates 3 and 4, binding-bolt 7,

and binding-clip 9, arranged as specified, and

having the opposite lugs 12, thill-iron 14, bolt 13, and thill 15, having the catch 21, with the interposed spring 16, bent, as at 17, to embrace the thill-iron bent upon itself, as at 18, to the rear and upwardly, as at 19, and terminating in the catch 20, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMEs G. GosLEE, D. N. VANCE. 

